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CLASSICALCOMPOSITION

James a. selby

thesis & laWDiscovering the Skills of Writing

Teacher Guide

3 Contents

3Contents

Contents

Teaching guidelines 4

Grading Sheets 8Definition of Terms 10Introduction 12

lessonsLesson 1: Paraphrase of Aphthonius’ Thesis 16Lesson 2: Should One Homeschool? 26Lesson 3: Should Parents Help Children Choose a Spouse? 33

Lesson 4: Should One Seek to Become Rich? 40

Lesson 5: Should One Welcome Adversity? 47Lesson 6: Should One Read Poetry? 54Lesson 7: Are There Animals in Heaven? 61Lesson 8: Should One Give Money to the Poor? 68Lesson 9: Paraphrase of Aphthonius' Law 75Lesson 10: Approval for a Law That Jaywalkers Should Be Whipped 84Lesson 11: Disapproval for a Law That Jaywalkers Should Be Whipped 90Lesson 12: Approval for a Law That Suspends Dress-Code Violators 96Lesson 13: Disapproval for a Law That Suspends Dress-Code Violators 102

appendixFigures of Description With Examples 110

Figures of Speech With Examples 115Aphthonius' Introduction to Thesis and Law 124Sentence Variation Exercise 126

26 Lesson 2 • Should One Homeschool?

lesson 2

26

Should One Homeschool? lesson 2

Preparing for ClassReview Aphthonius’ introduction to Thesis in the Appendix.Read the whole lesson, including the sample answers provided. Get familiar with the various arguments that could be used by your students.+TEACHER TIPS

» You may allow students to decide their own answer to the Thesis Question, or you may want to require students to answer it a certain way. Eventually, however, students should be given the freedom to argue different viewpoints, which will allow not only for more variety, but will also foster healthy debate in the classroom.

1. Review Apthonius’ ModelRead aloud and discuss Aphthonius’ introduction to Thesis in the Appendix.

2. Thesis1. Read the title of the lesson and

ask: What type of thesis is it? » Political: The question of whether one

should homeschool concerns the fabric of society.

2. Explain “Basis.” » It is a declarative statement or general truth. » It must have a subject and predicate.

Æ Marriage (subject) is a human institution (predicate).

Æ People (subject) get married (predicate).

3. Brainstorm and write a Basis.4. Explain “Thesis Question.”

» This question may ask whether something should be done (political thesis) or whether something is the case (theoretical).

Æ Should people get married? (political)

Æ Are there many universes? (theoretical)

5. Write a Thesis Question by turning the Basis into a question.

6. Have students brainstorm answers to the Thesis Question and pick one that will be their Thesis Statement.

3. Introduction

Credit (statement of praise)

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » Whoever wishes to praise the universe briefly should praise marriage.

2. Brainstorm and write a credit.

exposition

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » It came from heaven–or, rather, it filled heaven with the gods and

established their father, from whom the very title of father is derived. And having produced the gods, he allowed nature to preserve them. Then he came to earth and gave the power of reproduction to all other things; he changed what does not know permanence and contrived permanence for them through their descendants.

2. Brainstorm/write narrative components. » What truth does the story demonstrate? » What words express the reversal? » Does any suffering occur? » Who are the agents?

26 Lesson 2

Lesson 2Thesis: Should One Homeschool?

BasisWrite a general truth that stands as the Basis for the Thesis Question.

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Thesis QuestionWrite a question that the Thesis Statement will answer.

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IntroductionWrite an Introduction using the following outline.

Credit (Statement of Praise)Write a statement that praises the subject of the thesis, e.g., marriage.

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ExpositionWrite the nine narrative components of an Exposition and a paraphrase.

Recognition ____________________________________________________________________________

Reversal _______________________________________________________________________________

Suffering _______________________________________________________________________________

Agent _________________________________________________________________________________

Action _________________________________________________________________________________

Time __________________________________________________________________________________

Place __________________________________________________________________________________

Manner ________________________________________________________________________________

Cause _________________________________________________________________________________

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Homeschooling gives students freedom

"Homeschooling frees the student from the confi nes of a classroom"

Students are confi ned to certain restrictions in the classroom

Parents; mothers and fathers

Parents trained their children's minds and hearts

Since the beginning of time

In homes, like the cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was raised

Parents trained children with their own mouths, minds, hands, and hearts

Because homeschooling frees the student to learn from great thinkers

Some people educate their children in the home.

Should people educate their children in the home?

Young people who wish to go beyond the status quo of learning and enrich their minds should embrace

schooling at home.

Since the beginning of time, mothers and fathers have reared their children’s minds with their own hands and hearts.

When they grow older, they eventually take much of their school upon themselves, as Honest Abe [antonomasia]

did in his poor cabin, before moving on to greatness. Learning is too precious to be put in the hands of the Common

Core [periphrasis]; one must entrust his intellect to the great thinkers such as Apthonius, Erasmus, and Hermogenes.

Homeschooling frees the student from the confi nes of a classroom, and opens up the whole world for a library.

27Lesson 2 • Should One Homeschool?

lesson 2Should One Homeschool?

27

» What did the agents do? » When? » Where? » How? » Why?

3. Have students compose the exposition, and require a figure of description or a figure of speech.

four Heads of purposeStudents will choose four arguments or heads of purpose to use in support of their thesis. They may choose from any of the six: Consequence, Plausibility, Possibility, Justice, Honor, or Expediency.Require students to use a figure of description or a figure of speech in each head of purpose.

tHesis statementStudents write the thesis they developed in answer to the Thesis Question.

4. Counterpoints1. Remind students that a

counterpoint is an argument that contradicts the thesis.

Æ A counterpoint to Aphthonius’ thesis that people should marry is: “Marriage is the cause of misfortunes.”

2. Have students brainstorm six counterpoints to their thesis.

3. Have students label the head of purpose used in each of their counterpoints.

+TEACHER TIPS » You may want to require students to use all

six heads of purpose when inventing their counterpoints, i.e., have them label the heads of purpose first, and then brainstorm the sentences. In so doing, your students will keep their argumentative skills sharp, and they will also have an easier time creating the counterpoints since they have a starting point.

27Thesis: Should One Homeschool?

Four Heads of PurposeChoose four heads of purpose to support your thesis and write them below.

Consequence (clarity or unclarity) __________________________________________________________

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Plausibility (likely or unlikely/legality or illegality) ____________________________________________

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Possibility (is or is not/logical or illogical) ___________________________________________________

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Justice (consistency or inconsistency/ethical or unethical) _______________________________________

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Honor (propriety or impropriety) ___________________________________________________________

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Expediency (benefi cial or unbenefi cial) ______________________________________________________

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Thesis StatementWrite a Thesis Statement.

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CounterpointsDevelop six Counterpoints, identifying the Head of Purpose you use.

Counterpoint 1 (Head of Purpose:__________________)

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To confi ne a child's education to the home will result in a lack of social manners.

Just think of all the good a homeschooler could be doing for society if they would get out of the house!

Expediency

Consequence

As a result, all these opportunities make the homeschooler a mind [synecdoche] of the greatest learning.

Because homeschooling gives time, freedom, and excellence, it should be the number-one choice for

education, and deserves acknowledgment and the highest praise.

With homeschooling, one is more likely to open his or her mind to new ideas without the prying eyes of

pernicious peers.

All the resources of unbridled learning are available to the homeschooler, without exceptions.

Homeschooling gives the learner the time they really need to study and research.

It brings honor to parents when students learn under their oversight.

Students who learn at home receive the benefi t of more time with family.


lesson 2

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5. Argument ParagraphsRemind students that the argument paragraphs will support their thesis and refute three of the best counterpoints.

PARAGRAPh 1

1. Counterpoint 1 » Read the directions. » Have students write their best counterpoint. » Identify the head of purpose used.

2. Resolution » Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’

example: » I think you are bringing a charge against

fortune, not marriage. [Resolution-Consequence]

» Have students brainstorm a resolution based on any head of purpose.

» Identify the head of purpose used.

3. Development » Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’

example: » What men suffer in adversity is the product of

fortune, not marriage; what marriage lavishes upon mankind is not gained by chance. [Development-Paraphrase]

» Have students brainstorm a development. » Identify the head(s) of development used.

4. epilogue » Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’

example: » So marriage should be admired for the

blessings it contains, not criticized for the evils which fortune dispenses. [Epilogue]

» Have students brainstorm an epilogue.28 Lesson 2


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Paragraph 1Choose the best Counterpoint and write Paragraph 1 using the following outline.

Counterpoint 1Write the best Counterpoint and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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ResolutionWrite a Resolution and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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Development (Paraphrase, Cause, Converse, Analogy, Example, or Testimony)Write a Development and identify the Head(s) of Development used: __________________________________________________.

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Epilogue (serving as transition/summary)

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Someone may say, "Homeschoolers certainly do not get the real-world experience that is needed for life

unless they go to public school."

I believe you are referring to those that spend their whole lives in their room studying? I am sorry to

disappoint you, but those sorts of people do not exist.

Saying that homeschoolers do not live like others is a dreadful lie. Talk to any homeschooler, and they

will successfully persuade you, with all their anecdotes and experiences at this and that place, that their

lives could not be more exciting and enriching. [cause] Homeschoolers have the time to visit places that

boost their curiosity and broaden their understanding. [paraphrase]

It is plain to see that homeschoolers get very much experience, perhaps more than others.

Possibility

Consequence

Cause, Paraphrase

Justice

Those who unjustly force students to learn at home will cause them to stay there for the rest of their

lives, reading and rotting.

It is not likely that they learn quite as much as those in public school.Plausibility

Honor

Possibility

Homeschoolers certainly do not get the real-world experience that is needed for life unless they go to

public school.

Homeschooled children can skip grades, sleep in, and wriggle out of all the diffi culties of everyday

school life that would otherwise form them into virtuous people.



29

PARAGRAPh 2


example: » And yet even if we ascribe to marriage the

worst features of human life, is that any more reason to abstain from marriage? [Justice]




example: » The disagreeable aspects of any activity

do not make one abandon it. [Paraphrase] Consider one by one the trades in which the thing you are criticizing is present. Thunderbolts cause trouble for farmers and hailstorms ruin them; but farmers do not abandon their land because a thunderbolt destroys it; they go on with their farming, even if something comes from heaven that causes damage. [Analogy] Men suffer ill fortune at sea and storms wreck their ships; but they do not give up seafaring because they have suffered in their turn, but ascribe their difficulties to fortune and await the income that comes from the sea. [Analogy] Battles and wars bring physical destruction on those who fight them; but death in battle does not make them avoid battles, but because they are admired for fighting, they are content to die and efface the misfortune by its attendant good. [Analogy] For one should not shun what is good because of what is bad; one should endure the worst because of what is fine. [Paraphrase]



example: » So it is absurd if farmers, sailors, and soldiers

too bear the hardships of their calling for the sake of the praiseworthy things associated with them, while we dishonor marriage because it brings a certain distress. [Epilogue]

» Have students brainstorm an epilogue. » Require a figure of description or a figure

of speech.

PARAGRAPh 3

1. Counterpoint 2 » Read the directions. » Have students write their second best

counterpoint. » Identify the head of purpose used.


example: » These evils result from death, which is an

affliction of our nature. [Resolution-Consequence]




Paragraph 2Write Paragraph 2 using the following outline.

ResolutionWrite another Resolution for Counterpoint 1 and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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Paragraph 3Choose the second best Counterpoint and write Paragraph 3 using the following outline.

Counterpoint 2Write the second best Counterpoint and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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Consequence

Even if homeschooled children are kept from doing many things out in the world, is this really so

terrible a loss?

A young child is out in the world every day, being taught questionable things, spending time with

potentially dubious companions, and being thoroughly brainwashed. All these things can infl uence him

for better or for worse, and shape his character for good or bad. [converse] Consider a lioness. She

does not let her young ones hunt by themselves until they have learned all their proper life skills at

home. [analogy] As William Ellery Channing once said, "The home is the chief school of human

virtues." [Testimony]

So, is it not benefi cial for homeschooled children to be locked up in their rooms (if this is even the case),

[hyperbole] so that their heads will be clear of the smoke of the world?

"This may be so," one may say, "but think of all the good a homeschooler could be doing for society!"

I reply, "What makes you think a homeschooler does not help his community?"

Expediency

Expediency

Converse, Analogy, Testimony


lesson 2

30



example: » You seem to be criticizing marriage because it

does not turn men into gods, and to condemn marriage because it does not reckon mortals with gods. [Paraphrase] Tell me, why do you blame marriage for what death brings about? [Paraphrase] Why do you attribute to weddings what is in nature’s power? [Paraphrase]



example: » Concede the death of one born to die. But

if men die because they are born, and in dying leave their mate a widow and make an orphan of their offspring, why do you say that marriage has done what is the result of nature alone? [Epilogue]

» Have students brainstorm an epilogue.

PARAGRAPh 4


example: » I, on the contrary, believe that marriage

corrects orphanhood and widowhood. [Resolution-Honor]




example: » Someone’s father has died, and the child

is an orphan; but marriage brings a second father for the orphans, and the affliction, which is not the outcome of marriage, is effaced by marriage; marriage is the abolition of orphanhood, not its occasion. [Cause] Then again, nature produces widowhood from death, but marriage changes it by a wedding. The woman, whom death made a widow, marriage grants to live with a husband, as if standing guard over its own favor; for what it conferred in the beginning it restores when taken away. So marriage is able to remove widowhood, not to inflict it. [Cause] Furthermore, a father is deprived of children by death, but through marriage he has a share in others, and he becomes a father a second time although he was not allowed to be so the first. [Cause]

» Have students brainstorm a development. » Identify the head(s) of development used. » Require a figure of description or a figure

of speech.

3. epilogue » Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example:

» What then? You are turning the blessings of marriage into criticism, and I think you are trying to praise marriage, not to disgrace it; since you force us to enumerate the favors which marriage gives, you have become a supporter, not a critic, of marriage. Moreover, your attack on marriage compels us to admire it and you make a catalog of benefactions out of the charges you bring against marriage. [Epilogue]

» Have students brainstorm an epilogue.

30 Lesson 2


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Paragraph 4Write Paragraph 4 using the following outline.

ResolutionWrite another Resolution for Counterpoint 2 and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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How could one believe that children at home sit idly by while their institutionalized counterparts do all

the good work?

It is senseless to create an argument that is not even true. Saying that homeschoolers do no good for

society is a falsehood. [paraphrase] It is the homeschoolers who are our engineers and technicians.

They are the great statesmen, the ones whose minds never rust [aequipollentia]. [cause] The great

physicist Albert Einstein had his schooling at home until he attended the University of Zurich and went

on to become the most famous of scientists. [example]

If the home is the nurturer of those who are making such an impact on our lives, why is it besieged

with discredit?

Expediency

Paraphrase, Cause, Example

Where is the evidence that points to their immobility? [paraphrase] An institutionalized child can be

forced to pick up trash in the park, help with bake sales, and do lawn care for elders. Yet this is all the

doing of his teachers, and we know that many children would rather be at home playing video games.

[converse] A homeschooler, on the other hand, is able to make the choice on his own, which adds

more to the good he does. His fl exible schedule leaves room for him to join various clubs and groups

dedicated to helping the community. [cause]

It is plain to see that many homeschoolers are much more dedicated to the community than any

public-schooler.

Paraphrase, Converse, Cause



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PARAGRAPh 5

1. Counterpoint 3 » Read the directions. » Have students write their third best

counterpoint. » Identify the head of purpose used.


example: » What is it but marriage that can put an end to

toil? [Expedience]




example: » All toil is taken away by marriage, and for

most, coming together in harmony with another is restful. [Cause] What a joy it is for a man to find union with his wife! [Paraphrase] With what delight a child is looked forward to; and, when expected, appears; and, when he appears, says, “father”; and starts to learn his trade, and works alongside his father, and speaks in the assembly, and cares for his father in old age, and in general does all that he ought! [Cause]


4. epilogue » Read the directions. » Have students brainstorm an epilogue. » Require a figure of description or a figure of

speech.

6. Conclusion

Head of purpose

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » It is not possible to go through all the things

which marriage can bring. [Impossibility]

2. Have students brainstorm a head of purpose in support of the thesis.

3. Identify the head of purpose used.


Paragraph 5Choose the third best Counterpoint and write Paragraph 5 using the following outline.

Counterpoint 3Write the third best Counterpoint and identify the Head of Purpose used: ______________________.

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ConclusionWrite a Conclusion using the following outline.

Head of PurposeBegin the concluding paragraph with a head of purpose and identify it: ______________________.

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A countless number of parents have found that while teaching their children, they have learned much

more themselves than they could ever have imagined before. [paraphrase] In our world today, there

are millions of websites that aid parents in teaching, thousands of resources on screen and page, and

hundreds of curriculum choices. [parallel construction] [cause] There is always a place for new

homeschooling parents, and there is always hope for those who wish to assist their children in higher

education. [paraphrase]

Should not such parents as these be praised for their efforts along with their goal?

Paraphrase, Cause, Paraphrase

The riches gained by homeschooling are countless.

Possibility

Possibility

"But consider," another might remark, "are parents really adequate teachers for such genius children as

you describe?"

Possibility

Many are, and if they are not, has not everyone the ability to learn as they teach?

32

lesson 2


Should One Homeschool?lesson 2

Condensed exposition

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » Marriage is a great thing, bringing forth gods

and making mortals, for whom it contrives permanence, seem to be gods. [Condensed Exposition]

2. Have students summarize their Exposition from the Introduction.

tHree Heads of purpose

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » It teaches those who experience it justice,

it incites one to consider self-control, it is the provider of pleasures that are abused in their absence. [Summary of Three Best Resolutions]

2. Have students summarize their three best resolutions.

restated tHesis

1. Read the directions; refer to Aphthonius’ example: » Therefore it is universally acknowledged

that marriage is to be held in the greatest esteem. [Restated Thesis]

2. Students paraphrase their thesis.3. Require a figure of description or

a figure of speech.

7. sentence Variation exercise1. Make copies of the Sentence

Variation Exercise in the Appendix.2. Have students pick two or

three sentences from any of the paragraphs and vary them.

8. peer editing and final draft1. Make copies of the “Grading

Sheet for Thesis” in the Teaching Guidelines.

2. Students exchange workbooks, edit each other’s work, and mark up, using the error symbols on the grading sheet.

3. Students proofread and correct their sentences in the introduction and other paragraphs.

4. Students write a final draft: » Include their name in the title: Should One Homeschool? by [Student’s

Name] » Indent paragraphs. » Write on every other line.

9. oral Presentation1. Students orally present final drafts.2. Praise as much as you can, and note one or two areas for

improvement.

preparing for the next Class1. Reread Aphthonius’ introduction to Thesis in the

Appendix.2. Reread Aphthonius’ model thesis.3. Have students research information on arranged

marriage.

32 Lesson 2

Condensed ExpositionCondense the exposition you wrote in the Introduction.

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Three Heads of PurposeSummarize your Three Best Resolutions.

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Restated ThesisRestate your Thesis.

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Final DraftProofread your sentences in the Introduction and Paragraphs 1-6.

On a separate sheet of paper, combine the corrected sentences into the form of a final draft.

Giving our youth the opportunity of homeschooling is like leading them to a crystal-clear river that has

no end [hydrographia]. Such a wonderful gift to the world is so often refuted today, so should we not

recompense and praise it for its worth?

Homeschooling gives students the true experience they need for the world, it provides time to work for

the community, and allows parents to learn something new.

Homeschooling has breathed forth an astounding number of great men and women in the past, and is

still creating them today.

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